Typewriting machine



w. 4 F. HE'LMOND 'TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1921 WILLIAM F. HELMONI), OF EAR-FY6333,

(IONliiECTIGU'X, ASSZGNOR C330 UDZHEREVGUZ? TYIPEWRITER COMPANY, OF NEW 55038.24, hit, it'., it GORTQOELMTKGN (3F DELAWARE.

Application filed November T ((71 whom it 71111 37 eon-(rem.-

Be it known that I, VILLJAIKI F. HEL- NONI), a citizen of the United States, residing;

in Hartford, in the county of Hartford" and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Typewrit in; Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

In an Underwood typewriting inaohine,

0 the type-bar strikes a fixed abutment just as it reaches printing position, the point of contaet with the abutment being between the ends of the typebar. The type-har springs against the platen with sutiioient force to make the desired impression, but

cannot strike a second time, or make a double impression. Tliisconstruction usually (ronduc-es'to olearness and sharpness of the impression, and renders it permissi- 9 ble for the type-bar to be made of consider able length and very thin'and light.

In assembling the parts, it has been necessary to secure exaetnessof relationship leetween type-bars, the abutment or stop and 3 the platen, it being, usually necessary for the type to be within less than five thousandths of an inch from the platen when arrested by the abutment, and it being also necessary to leave a spaee'of some ED thousandths of an inch between the type and the platen, so as to avoid blurringor doubleprinting The permissible variation in the position of the type when arrested by'the abutment hastherefore been microscopic, and ditiieult to secure. It the typebar strikes the abutmenta trifle too soon, it results that the type-bar springs excessively in reachingthe platen, and the extreme tip of the type therefore makes too heavy 40 an impression, compared with the main portion of the type. This ill etieet is produced whenthe type-bar is not more than ten or fifteen thousandths of an inch away from the platen at the time it strikes the abutment. The abutment is rather near the type end of the bar, caueinp the bar to spring or bend on a short radius, with the result that the top of the type prints so heavily. The effect is the same as if the type were off its feet, and the trouble has, to be (0T1 reeted by bending the type-bar with tools, or by fitting the type-bar more closely with relation to the abutment. This is a slow and expensive operation, every type-bar has 21, 1321. Serial No. 516,667.

ing to be relation r:

retuli v tested for exactness of h abutment and platen.

1e lateral vibration of the type-bar is considerable, tending to impair the side alig'nn'ient. and the spacing of the type impressions. T he eapital letters particularly tend to incline to the right or leit when the ma is rapidly operated, the axis of the chine iateral vibration being at about the point where the type-bar strikes the abutment, whirlh as aiready noted. is rather near the type, so that the angular extent of the lateral vibration is considerable.

In ii vercoming these diiiieulties, eaeh type bar is provided with tongue or cleric pro jecting therefrom which strikes the abutment that a high degree of skill is not required for adjustment, and the machine can he manufactured more cheaply and rapidly.

After the abutment is struck, the improved bar can yield for a distance that is about equivalent to the entire length of: the bar. (living to this great springing or bending length, the type prints evenly. The diiiieulty of the top of the type printing the heaviest overcome. T he improved banean be as far as fifteen thousandths of an inch away from the platen, when it is arrested by the abutment, without printing! heavily at the top of the type. This affords eonsiderabie advantage in lowering the cost. and expediting the work of alignment, sinee a lower grade oi aiig'ning siriil can he gagged, microscopic closeness of reietiore ship ot the parts not being required, and it heing therefore unnecessary to give the usua-i close attention to testing the-type-hars with relation to abutment and platen, a substantial range of variation being perrnrihle;

Ri. further advantage of the improved type-hair is that noise is reduced because the art that strikes the fixed abutment is yielding.

The yielding tongue is spring? and: pulls back the, type instant-1y 11 one the piaten,

eliminating liability to blur. Moreover.

since the type-bar start bark more prompt ly from printing position to. lt'.'-' normal position. high speed of operation |s tavored.

Better earhon eopiesare. produced. be-

the abutment. as hereto'l'ore. but eenters at apoint close to the pivot of the type-bar, this being due to the use of the spring tongue. The tremor takes place neat the root of said tongutnand the lateral vibraa tion otthe types i redueud. beeause the tion.

type-bar is very elosely supportwl on both sides by the segment at. about the axis ot the lateral vibration. The type impressions therefore have better ide alignment. and the impressions of the capital types also stand straighter, espeeially in rapid opera- The type impressions do not llare out to the right or left, and they stand in better vertical alignment. There a sharper blow of the type on the paper.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear;

The accompanying drawing shows a type bar in normal position, and oneas it strikes the abutment. l The type-bars 1 are pivoted on a fulcrumwire 2, and are o]-)erated by key-driven le- Vers The wire 2 is mounted in a segment 4, which has radial guide-slots 5 for the type-bars: said segment being l'il'tflldw'l with a dust-shelt 6 over the slots. The type strikes rearwardly against a platen 7. A carriage-feeding universal har R is operated by the type-bars. llaeh type-bar isa plate of thin sheetanetal having alongitudirml stiffening rib 9.

Extending upwardly from thebase portion of the t-ype-bar, towards, the free end thereof, is a tongue it). to eontaet with an abutment 11 on the front fare of thesog ment 4, this abutment being of arc shape, suitable for all the type-bars. The spring tongue may be formed by eutting a long kerf or slot 12 at the middle otthe bar, at a widened portion thereof, said widened portion beginning at 13 just above the dust .shelf (3. The tongue -10 may he of any required length, the are of the abutment lilmg made of smaller radius where the tongue is longer.

When the tongue. strikes the abutment,

there is springing ant-ion. beginning at the abutment and extending down through the tongue and then up along the type-bu r to the.

, type; the tongue and type-bar both having a Springy eonstruetion. This gives a length of spring which. is.aboutequivalent to the entire length oil the type-bar, and'the type ran spring very mueh more than heretofore alter the t \'pe-bur strikes the abutment. and th re i m re uniformity of type impres.-iou.

and l ss need of seruring the preeise relation heretol'ore t'oundneressary between the type. the platen andthe abutment.

The abutment 1] is barely raised from the front surl'aee of the segment This permits the axis ot' the middle. body-portion oi" the type ba. to be more nearly oineident with aline drawn trom the pivot to th type. thus tending to rednee ability of skewing and distortion ol' the type-bar at the moment at printing. The slotted pow tion of thesegmentprojeets lar forwardly from the laee ot' the segm nt, and the standing type-bur at its bottom portion bends in elose to the front 'l'aee of the segment. aml keep this close relationship for the rest of the distanee to the type.

\"ariat'ions may be resorted to within the seope. ot' the invention, and portions of the improvements ma y be used without others.

Ilaving tlius desta'ibed my invention, 1 claim:

1. The combination with a'platen, of a pivoted type-bar to print against said platen, a typebar stop device, and a tongue integral with said type-bar to engage said stop dev-iee before the type touches the platen, said tongue joining the type-har near its pivot.

bar stop devir aboutmidway betw en the pivots ol' the type-bars aml the typeba" guide, and a resilient t ngue on eaeh t vpe' bar to'engage -said stop tltWltO. the tongues joining the type-bars iuproximity to said lateral guiding means.

4-. The eombination with a platen, of a plurality of radially-arrangml pivoted typebars, a type-bar segment having radial slots tor the type-bars. aguide at. the printing point, and a stop 'laee onsaid segmenflea h type-bar having a tongue to engage the stop time before the typebar t.ou"hes thrplaten,

the tongues being eonneeted to th ir respe' tive ty u -lzars near the slots in the segment and extending along the bars lowar; th ir type ends.

The eombinalion with a plat n and a radially-slotted segment having a stop do viee in the, l'orm ol'a rib barely raised i ith'h the surl'aee of the segnnint, ol' :1 series of piv oted type-bars working in the slots, and types 10 project rearwardly from the typebars to strike the platen, the slots having a dust guard at their upper ends, and the type burs formed with cntaways to enable them to clear the dust guard and reach Said stop rib when in printing positions, each type-bar having a longitudinal kerf extending from about its middle portion towards the pivot end of the bar, said kerf forming a tongue which engages said stop rib just before the type strikes the platen.

6. A pivoted type-bar formed of thin metal and having near its pivot portion an integral tongue extending towards its free end, and a stop, to he engaged by the free end of the tongue just before the type strikes a rib raised from the surface of the segment,

of a series ofpivoted type-bars working in the slots. eneh; type-bar having a longitudinal kerf eiztending from about its middle portion towards 'the pivot end of the bar, said kerf forming n tongue which engages, said rop rib just before the type strikes the platen. I

WHJLIAIVI F. HELMOND. li itnesscs human 1. SMITH, EDWARD AMERMAN, 

